The Day He Forgot
by Theine
Summary: Rin learns the hard way that forgetting your little sister's birthday is a very dangerous thing to do!


**This is a story I originally wrote back in 2013 - before the first season of Free! had even ended - which I've finally got around to reworking and decided to post so you too can enjoy the random shit my mind occasionally comes up with! There will no doubt be some inconsistencies with the later seasons, so for the sake of the story just pretend it's taking place in a slightly AU universe. :)**

 **There will be ridiculousness, and fluff, and hints at relationships - but mostly there will be vengeance!**

 **I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **And no, I don't own any of these characters.**

* * *

The PA in the hall crackled to life, the tired voice of the dorm manager coming through the speakers. It was a Wednesday and a school night, and the old man was no doubt looking forward to going home and breaking open a bottle of wine after a long day of dealing with adolescents and all the little crises that spawned around them like fruit flies around an overripe apple.

"Seijuro Mikoshiba, you have a visitor at reception. I repeat..."

Mikoshiba raised his head slowly from where it rested on his algebra homework as the message trailed off into static. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Huh?" he mumbled around the end of the well-chewed pencil held between his teeth. Who in the world would be visiting him now? It was hard on nine o'clock and the school had been locked for hours. He pushed himself up and spat out the pencil. The tip snapped off when it hit his desk, but that was just one more excuse to not do his math homework, and therefore no real loss. He stretched his arms up over his head as he trudged barefoot into the hall, triggering a massive, jaw-cracking yawn.

As a third-year he was on the top floor of the dorm, which apart from having a great view of the school grounds also meant there were a lot of stairs between his room and the main foyer. Around and around he went down the stairwell, all the while thinking how much of a pain going back up would be. Whoever called him down better has a damned good reason for it, otherwise they would find themselves facing one very grumpy swim captain!

Rounding the last corner and pushing open the fire door, Mikoshiba caught sight of a familiar head of red hair. His spirits brightened instantly, all previous grumbling forgotten. "Yo, Gou-kun!" he called, bounding across the linoleum tiles separating him from his underclassman's little sister. She was sitting on the bench next to the potted palm to the right of the door, and was twisting her fingers together nervously.

She looked up at him with pursed lips. "It's Kou, and please don't call me 'kun'."

He dropped down beside her and shuffled as close as he dared, leaving only a hand's span between their legs. "Your brother calls you Gou and you never get mad at him."

At the mention of Rin, Gou's entire expression darkened. Mikoshiba was caught off guard at the sudden change. "Did something happen?" he asked.

Gou crossed her arms and looked away. "Kind of…" she admitted. She started to say something else, stopped, then shook her head. "Was my brother stuck in practice today?"

Mikoshiba was getting an ominous feeling about this. "No, we had the day off. I think he was training on his own, though. We have a tournament coming up and he was complaining about his stroke rate."

Gou's eyes flashed. "That's so typical of him!" she snapped, pounding her right hand against her thigh. As quickly as her anger had appeared it drained away, and Mikoshiba was alarmed to see tears forming in her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Come on, you can tell me! I don't like seeing you down like this, it makes _me_ feel guilty."

Gou looked up at him though her eyelashes and his heart leapt clear through the roof. She was so cute! He reminded himself to pay attention.

"It's just… today was my birthday, and even though he promised we'd spend the day together, he never called me." Gou said, drawing a small circle on the floor with the toe of her shoe.

"What!" Mikoshiba couldn't believe it. He knew Rin was a bit obsessed with his training, but to forget such a cute sister's birthday was a sin! The urge to drag the grumpy redhead out his dorm by his ears and force him to grovel at his sister's feet was so overwhelming he'd jumped to his feet and taken a step back towards the stairs before the touch of a small hand on his arm stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Wait! I actually had something in mind already," Gou said.

He hesitated in spite of his heart, which was still urging him to go get Rin and make him beg for forgiveness. "Alright, I'm listening."

Gou cast a glance in the direction of the dorm manager, who was watching them from his chair at the front desk with a bored look on his face, before tugging on Mikoshiba's arm. He obliged her, leaning down until she could whisper in his ear. His eyes went wide as she explained her plan.

"I don't know," he said hesitantly. "There's a lot that could go wrong."

"Please," she begged, her hand tightening on his arm. "I know how it sounds, but it _will_ work!"

Her confidence was endearing. A big, goofy grin spread across his face. "Well, I'm not in the habit of turning down cute girls, so let's do this!"

She grabbed his hand in both of hers and squeezed it hard. "Thank you!"

"But," he interjected, "I want you to do something for me as well."

Gou studied him warily, but then slowly nodded her head.

"Great!" He grinned. "Then I'll help you get back at your brother for being an ass, and you'll let me take you out to dinner — and maybe a movie — as a birthday present!"

Gou sputtered, her face turning the same shade of red as her hair. For a moment Mikoshiba thought she might call the entire thing off, but she managed to calm down enough to nod. "O-okay, I guess."

Mikoshiba's grin grew even wider. _Sorry Rin,_ he thought, _but it looks like I've sold you out._

Oh well, Rin would forgive him... probably.

* * *

"So Matsuoka, what was up with you and Nanase-kun?"

Rin stopped halfway across the pool deck and looked over at the swimmer addressing him. Even though they were on the same team he couldn't remember the other boy's name. "What are you talking about?"

The boy winked and prodded Rin with his elbow. "You know, the thing with the bathtub. I was kind of surprised, but everyone's talking about it so it must be true."

Rin frowned. "What bathtub? Who'd you hear that from?"

The boy tapped his chin in thought. He was clearly being dramatic, and it was starting to piss Rin off. "Hmm, let's see. I think I heard it from Tatsuke, who heard it from Imai, who heard it from—"

"Alright I get it!" Rin growled. He yanked his goggles on, fully intending to get back in the pool and away from nosy teammates with too much imagination and not enough to keep them otherwise occupied. "Some idiot started a rumour about me. Stop wasting my time."

"Oh?" The boy smirked. "But you know, Imai heard it from the captain, who heard it from his mother, who is apparently friends with _your_ mother, so..."

Rin paused and turned back towards the boy. "My mother?"

"Yeah. Seems like they got to know each other through your swim meets or something. Small world, right?" He shrugged. "Anyway, I just wanted to know what the _thing_ you'd done was. People are placing bets and the pool is getting kind of big. But if you don't remember then I guess there's no point to it. Oh well." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Rin said, grabbing hold of his shoulder. The boy looked back at him with raised brows. "What are their theories?"

"Do you really want to know?" The boy's grin was lascivious, and Rin was hit with a sudden wave of cold.

"What the hell! I'm not—"

"Whatever you say, bro," the boy pulled his shoulder out of Rin's grip and walked towards to a group of other swimmers. When he reached them they put their heads together and he whispered something that caused the rest to burst out laughing.

Rin turned away so if any of them looked up they wouldn't see the blush racing up his face. It wasn't anything he could control, his body just did that sort of thing completely without his permission, and it was _frustrating_. He stalked towards the showers, no longer eager to swim. Besides, there was a certain red-headed captain he wanted to have a word with. Or, maybe a few _select words_.

After changing out of his swimsuit he spotted Mikoshiba in the lounge off the school's pool. He stormed in, shoving the doors open with so much force they slammed against the wall. The captain looked up calmly at his intrusion, but Nitori, who was also there, jumped a foot in the air with a startled yelp.

"Yo, Matsuoka-kun," Mikoshiba said, raising a hand in greeting, completely oblivious to the killing aura radiating off Rin.

"Captain," Rin ground out through clenched teeth. "You'd better start explaining yourself."

"Oh, whatever about?" Mikoshiba had his trademark smile on.

"I think you know what!"

"Senpai," Nitori interrupted, and when Rin looked over at his roommate he found the boy in tears. "D-did you really do _that_ with Nanase-senpai? And in a bathtub of all places?"

For a moment Rin was too bewildered to feel angry. Why was Nitori crying? He knew the kid was sensitive, but this seemed a bit... overboard? "Don't listen to everything this idiot" — he pointed at Mikoshiba — "says. I have no idea what this rumour about me and Haru is about!"

"Y-you don't?" Nitori looked up at him with a hopeful look on his face.

Mikoshiba shrugged off Rin's anger and leaned back against the glass wall. Behind him the light danced as it reflected off the water in the pool, churned by swimmers doing laps. "I'm not lying," he said. "You know I went to visit my parents over the weekend, and my mother likes to hear about how the team is doing. She recognized your name when I mentioned you'd spent some time training in Australia and ended up telling me that story. She couldn't remember all of it though. That's why there's so much speculation going around."

"So, what? You heard something about me and just _decided_ to share it with the entire swim team?" Rin shouted.

Mikoshiba shrugged. "I didn't do it intentionally. Someone was asking me how my weekend was and it just came up."

"Well that's just great! Now they all think I'm some kind of—"

"Woah, cut it right there!" Mikoshiba said, waving his hands to deflect the end of Rin's sentence. "There's no cursing in the lounge, remember? Besides, couldn't it be that you just _forgot_?" he asked, fixing Rin with a hard look.

Rin ran his fingers through his hair. "But I can't remember anything like that happening — ever!"

"You're _sure_."

"Yes!"

"Well, why don't you go ask Nanase-kun about it?"

"I'm not going to do that!" Rin huffed before storming off to the far end of the lounge and throwing himself onto one of the lumpy benches that always smelt of chlorine even though the janitors aired them out at least once every two weeks. He pulled his knees up to his chest, ignoring the feel of the scratchy fabric against the soles of his feet and tried to clear a space in his head long enough to really think. There had to be something there, something that had gotten lost over the four years of hell he'd endured in Australia, but what?

He'd really only know Haru for a year before he'd moved, and it wasn't like they'd spent every day together after school, so there shouldn't be that many memories to begin with. He shook his head in frustration. It was so ridiculous, and yet if it really _had_ originated with his mother then it must be true. It was probably some innocent incident from when he and Haru were kids, the kind she always remembered at exactly the right moment to make him want to die from embarrassment — generally at family reunions, and always in company.

Rin pulled out his cellphone and flipped it open. He navigated to his contacts and stared at the list. His best bet was to call his mother and get the story straight from her. That way he'd be able to put the rumours to rest and get on with his day. He selected her name, hit the call button and brought the phone to his ear — only to snap it shut before it had rung once. He put his head down on his knees. If he asked her she'd blackmail him into going home on the weekends, and he didn't want her to see how much he'd changed. She'd worked overtime to send him to school in Australia because he'd begged her to let him chase his dream. When he'd come back during the New Years breaks he'd been able to play off his surliness as general fatigue, but that excuse wouldn't work forever.

Rin flipped his phone back open. He could call Gou, but she'd been even younger than him at the time of this alleged incident, so the likelihood of her remembering when even he was drawing a blank was practically zero. He continued to flip down the contacts list. Haru never had his phone on him, and he was closemouthed. Rin doubted he'd have told Makoto anything unless he'd been hassled. And then he'd reached the end of the numbers stored in his phone.

"I thought I had more than that," he muttered.

There was no helping it. He needed to go find Haru.

He shook his legs awake, wincing at the tingling that wracked his nerves as he stood. The lounge had filled up while he was thinking and there was a group of underclassmen crowded around Mikoshiba. Rin pushed past them on the way out, paying no attention to Mikoshiba bragging about getting a date — or something equally lame. Nitori tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, but he shook him off before yanking the door open and walking out.

* * *

"And there he goes," Mikoshiba said after the door had swung shut.

The underclassmen let out a collective sigh of relief.

"You took your life into your hands there, Captain," one of them muttered. "I can't believe you said, 'I can't wait to go on a date with Gou-kun this evening' right as he walked by."

"It was a test," Mikoshiba explained with a grin, shoving his hands into his pockets so no one would see them shaking.

* * *

Rin was so caught up in his own thoughts on the train ride to Iwatobi that he nearly missed his stop. The doors were sliding shut when he surfaced long enough from his bath-born misery to recognize the sparkle of sunlight glinting off the water of the bay and all but threw himself off the train, shouldering the doors back open by force when they tried to eat his arm. He earned some stern looks from the passengers inside the train, but his tracksuit was damp from his shower at the pool, his hair smelt of chlorine despite having washed it, and he'd forgotten an event with one of his best friends that was quickly becoming key to his continued mental and emotional wellbeing!

Let them scowl — Rin was on a mission!

Walking quickly through the quiet streets, he came to Iwatobi High just before five and marched through the gate, heedless of the suspicious looks his Samezuka jacket earned from the handful of students milling around after their club meetings had ended. He circled the building until he spotted the pool. It looked deserted. Bewildered, he walked up the the chainlink fence surrounding the deck and wove his fingers through the cool metal.

Had Gou not booked a practice today? That seemed unlikely. No swimmer worth their salt — especially not Haru, who he was convinced was secretly a marine mammal — would miss practicing in an outdoor pool on a beautiful, sunny day like today. Even if it was kind of… small. Twenty-five yards at _most_ , and that was being generous. No wonder they'd been so happy when they snuck into Samezuka at the start of the year.

He looked towards the changing rooms, his eyes gliding over a machine humming away at the edge of the pool, long tubes hanging down into the water. He could hear voices!

The entrance to the changing rooms was unlocked, and after taking a moment to steel himself, Rin pulled open the door and strode into the men's side.

"Rin-chan!"

He caught a glimpse of worn green benches and rows of lockers before Nagisa was hurtling towards his chest, his arms outstretched as though expecting a hug. Rin intercepted him, catching hold of his head with one hand while he braced the other against the doorframe to keep from being bowled over.

"Rin?" Makoto asked a moment later from farther in the room. There was a loud _clunk_ as one of the weights he was holding hit the floor.

"Oh, it's you," said the new member whose name Rin had never learned.

Rin scanned the room. No Haru, and no Gou either. "Where's the rest of your team?" he asked.

"Rin-chan!" Nagisa whined, batting at him ineffectively with a rubber tension band. "Why are you so mean? We haven't seen you in forever. Can't you even say hello?"

"This isn't a social call," Rin replied, catching the band and flinging it away. "And I'm not in the mood to play with you. Now, where's Haru?"

The mystery member of the team pushed a pair of red-framed glasses up his nose. "Why are you looking for him?" he asked.

"That's none of your—"

Nagisa giggled and then quickly hid his mouth behind his hands. "I bet it's about that thing in the bath!"

The tension in the room spiked. Makoto dropped his other weight and Rin froze. Nagisa seized the opportunity to slither past his arm and wrap him in a tight hug.

Rin recovered quickly and pushed Nagisa off, holding him at arm's length. "How did you…"

"We heard it from Gou-chan of course!" Nagisa said. "Tell me, tell me! What was the _thing_ you and Haru-chan did? Was it dirty?" For someone with such an innocent face, his ability to insinuate _his_ take on the situation with a single sly grin was downright terrifying. Rin shut his mouth with a snap as heat burned up his cheeks. He tried to focus on the important parts. Namely, if they were in the dark about the _bath incident_ , it meant Gou was as well.

"I don't remember," he said, dashing Nagisa's hopes for some juicy gossip. "Did Haru say anything about it, or…?" He looked over at Makoto, who was the most likely of the three to have heard anything, and took a reflexive step back. Makoto was _glaring_ at him. And not a light, you just made a horrible joke and should be ashamed of yourself way, but like he was actively trying to shoot daggers out of his eyes. Rin couldn't remember Makoto glaring at anything, ever, and to find himself on the receiving end of such — dare he say — venom, was both uncomfortable and unnerving.

Nagisa pursed his lips in a pout. "We haven't seen him. He went home right after school."

That was one bit of luck, at least. "I'll go ask him, then."

Nagisa caught his arm as he turned to leave. "I don't think that's a good idea." He sounded nervous. "Not right now, at least."

"Oh?" Rin growled, pulling away. "That's too bad for him, because I _will_ get to he bottom of this."

"Wait, Rin-chan!" Nagisa called after him, but Rin ignored him.

* * *

"Mako-chan," Nagisa said once Rin was gone. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Makoto took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He needed to calm down. It would be suspicious if he lost his cool here. And yet, whenever he thought of Rin and Haru, together, doing something like _that…_

"He'll get more than he bargained for, that's for sure."

"I don't get it." Rei sighed, hoisting a pair of weights and starting his reps. "I know Haru's mad about those delinquents throwing a party in our pool and contaminating the water, but can't he just go swim in the ocean, or take a bath or something?"

Nagisa laughed nervously. "Ah, well. You see, the thing is..."

* * *

Rin stalked along the side of the road, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and eyes glued on the ground in front of his feet. So now everyone knew about _that_ , whatever _that_ was.

He passed a group of forlorn beachgoers staring up at a red flag flapping weakly from the top of the lifeguard's chair and turned up the long, twisting stairwell that led both to the shrine at the crest of the hill and, more importantly, to Haru's house. He was a little surprised he remembered the way after all these years, but his feet propelled him up flight after flight with dogged determination.

He emerged into the middle of a construction zone where a crew of muddy workers were punching a enormous hole in the middle of the road with jackhammers. Haru house was on the corner opposite. He skirted the orange pylons as one of the workers yelled something about a water main, and then he was up the front walk and pounding on Haru's door.

"Oi, Haru, open up!"

There was no response.

He backed up and peered at the windows, but the lights were all off and the curtains didn't so much as flutter. "Haru!" Rin hollered, not caring if he was disturbing the neighbours.

"Oh," said a quiet voice from behind him. "Rin."

Rin's heart leapt. He'd recognize that dispassionate voice anywhere! He spun around… and came face to face with two flats of bottled water. A pair of arms were wrapped around the sides of the flats, the cuffs of a green blazer just visible where they'd been rolled back out of the way.

"Haru?" Rin asked, peeking around the side of the flats. Haru stared back, sweat rolling down his neck and eyes crinkled from the strain of lugging sixty pounds of water down from the convenience store near the gate of the shrine.

"Do you need a hand with that?" Rin asked.

"My keys. Pocket." Haru nodded in the direction of his left pant pocket.

Rin hesitated a moment, his teammate's lascivious grin and Nagisa's words flashing through his head. But Haru looked like he was about to collapse, so he shoved those suggestions aside and fished out Haru's keyring. There was a dolphin charm attached to it, which was just so _Haru_ that Rin's lips twitched up into a smile.

The second he pushed the door open, Haru tumbled through, the flats of water hitting the ground with a deafening _thud_ and the _crinkle_ of plastic. Mercifully, none of the bottles broke, though Rin suspected the floor would bear permanent scars from the cardboard corners of the cases. Haru remained in the entryway. He was bent double gasping for breath while one hand rubbed the small of his back.

Rin waited until he'd straightened up. "Haru," he said. "There's a weird rumour going around about us in a bath and I—"

Haru's head snapped up and Rin was caught off guard by his expression. It wasn't so much to do with his face, but his eyes. They were glistening like the surface of the ocean in the sun, and Rin felt that if he leaned close enough he might fall in and drown.

"Bath," Haru mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"Yes, a bath," Rin pressed. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

"Bath..." Haru repeated, his lips barely moving.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Haru's eyes narrowed, their shine hardening until it was replaced with a steely gleam. "You have a bath," he said.

Rin took a step back. "Well, yes—"

"Let's go," Haru interrupted, grabbing Rin's wrist and dragging him back out the door. He stopped long enough to lock the door behind them before towing Rin in the direction of the train station.

Rin tried to dig his heels in when they reached the bottom of the stairs, but Haru tightened his grip and dragged him across the road. "Haru! Would you let up a minute and explain what's going on?"

Haru's gaze was fixed on the station in the distance. "Water," he said.

That was all Rin could get out of him. Eventually, he gave up struggling and let Haru guide him onto the train. Haru spent the entire trip bouncing restlessly on the balls of his feet. He didn't sit down or lean against the glass divider next to the door. He also never let go of Rin's wrist, much to Rin's dismay as it meant they got some sharp looks from a very proper looking elderly gentleman. The old geezer was glaring so hard Rin could almost hear him berating them in his thoughts.

Fortunately, they got off at the next stop, and Rin found himself in familiar territory. "We're really going to my house?" he asked.

His answer came in the form of a sharp tug on his wrist as Haru turned down his street. It seemed Rin wasn't the only one who remembered where his old friend lived.

The driveway was empty, for which Rin offered a quiet prayer of thanks. He didn't know how he'd explain this to his mother. Then again, unless Gou had tattled on him, she probably still believed he and Haru were as close as they'd been in elementary school. Perhaps it was the reminder of how things used to be, but Rin was hit by a wave of nostalgia that left him blinking back tears. It felt like homesickness, only not for any specific place. He tried to shake off the unexpected surge of emotion as he unlocked the front door and let Haru in, but it stuck. As resilient as his mother's salt-water taffy.

Haru's shoes were off his feet before Rin could close the door. He made a bee-line in the direction of the bathroom.

Rin stood in the entryway, his arms resting limply as his sides until he heard the sound of the bath being run.

So, Haru had dragged him all the way here just to take a bath? Rin slipped off his shoes with a sigh. Why did nothing ever go his way? He should have met Haru, found out that the entire bath story was a silly misunderstanding and then gone back to his dorm, mind at ease. Instead, Haru was stealing his bathtub and he had even more questions than he'd begun with.

He walked to the bathroom door, but couldn't summon the strength to push it open. Instead, he turned away and slowly climbed the stairs to his room. It had been a long time since he'd lain down on his own bed. Maybe it would help clear his head.

He left the door ajar in case Haru came looking for him before collapsing onto the covers. They smelt crisp, as though they'd just been laundered. Rin smiled and burrowed into their familiar embrace, his eyelids sliding shut.

* * *

He must have fallen asleep, because the next time he opened his eyes the sun had set and the sky was speckled with stars. He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes groggily. He pushed himself up, not bothering to straighten his clothes before trudging back down the stairs. "Haru?" he called, but the house was silent. Did he leave?

Rin wandered to the front door and stared down at the mat. Haru's shoes were exactly where he'd left them, directly in front of the door. He picked them up and dutifully slipped them into an open space on the shoe rack so his mother and Gou wouldn't trip when they got back from where-ever it was that had them out so late. "Haru?" he called again.

The bathroom door was closed, but when Rin tested the handle it slid open easily. He stepped inside. Haru had placed his clothes in the hamper near the door and there was a towel sitting unused next to them. "Haru," Rin growled, pulling open the door that led to the actual bath. "Haven't you been in there long enough already?"

There was still no response. Haru was lying in the tub, his head lolling back at an awkward angle. His eyes were closed.

"Don't fall asleep in the tub. You'll drown!"

Haru didn't stir.

"Haru?" Rin asked again, dread rising in his chest. Was it a trick of the light, or were Haru's lips tinted a faint blue? He rushed to the side of the tub and grabbed Haru's shoulder, giving his a sharp shake. "Hey, wake up!"

Haru remained unresponsive, and Rin's dread blossomed into full-blown panic. He needed to get him out of there!

He threaded his arms under Haru's shoulders and pulled, sloshing water over the tub rim and onto the floor. It was like trying to deadlift a sack of bricks. Haru's body was limp and uncooperative, and as Rin tried to shift his grip, his foot slid out from under him on the slick tiles. Haru dropped back into the tub, his head missing the white porcelain rim by inches. Rin wasn't so lucky.

"Shit!" For a moment the world faded to white, but then the feel if the water, icy cold against his skin, roused him. He flailed, trying to lift himself out of the tub. Water cascaded over the rim, soaking every inch of his body not already half-submerged.

"Shit!" he swore again, dragging Haru's head above the surface. Cradling his friend as best he could, he put his ears next to Haru's lips and listened. He felt Haru take a breath more than heard it, his sides pressing against Rin's arms as his chest expanded. Rin's eyes burned, and he knew he was crying, but he was too relieved to care.

He didn't try to stand again. Bracing his legs against the outside of the tub, he managed to drag Haru over the rim. They ended up on the floor together, Haru sprawled over Rin's legs in a boneless heap.

What was he supposed to do next? Rin looked around frantically for a visual trigger and latched on to the fluffy towel folded neatly on the shelf. Right, hypothermia. He needed to get Haru dried off!

The world spun around him as he stood. Pressing a hand against his brow he felt something hot run along his palm. His fingers came away bloody and Rin groaned. Today really, really wasn't his day!

* * *

"That movie was amazing!" Gou gushed as she and Mikoshiba walked side-by-side down her street. "All the actors had such beautiful muscles!"

"I was really surprised," he admitted with a laugh. "I'd resigned myself to sitting through a chick flick. I had no idea you liked action movies."

Her smile was radiant. "I'm so happy I got to see that movie in theatres! None of my friends would go with me, and watching movies by myself isn't the same." She looked up at him. "Did you hear about the new superhero movie coming out next month?"

"Oh, are you asking me out?"

Her cheeks flushed pink. "Maybe," she replied, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

Mikoshiba grinned and slung his arm around her shoulders. "How could I say no?"

He really was like a big puppy, she reflected. "Then it's a date, and this time you'll let me pay."

"Huh?" Mikoshiba looked at her, his face dropping in surprise. "But—"

"No buts about it! Unless…" She treated him to a coy smile. "You stop calling me Gou-kun."

"But Gou-kun is Gou-kun!" He whined, sounding eerily like Nagisa.

"Those are my conditions, you can either take them or..."

They'd reached her house and Gou was struck by a sense of wrongness that made the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Or?" Mikoshiba prompted.

"The lights are on," she said, staring at the living room window where the curtains were glowing softly. "But my mother is away a a conference until tomorrow evening."

Mikoshiba straightened to his full height and stepped in front of her, shielding her protectively. "Do you want to check inside?" he asked.

"Okay," she said, feeling a bit reckless. She told herself it was the movie's influence, but perhaps a small part of it — and only a small part, mind you! — was due to the tall swim captain's presence. She grabbed hold of his arm, reassured and slightly flustered by the toned muscles she could feel under the soft fabric of his shirt. After spending an hour and a half fawning over rippling pecs and biceps, it was easy to forget she'd seen the young man beside her wearing much less than any of the actors on the big screen — and that on a scale from fabulous to flabby, he could rival any action hero for the top spot.

"Let's do this," she said.

Mikoshiba had his serious face on, the one he used to intimidate underclassmen. Gou had seen him use it on a handful of junior swim club members he'd caught horsing around on the weight training equipment and it hadn't been pretty. From the terrified looks on their faces she fully believed they'd be plagued by nightmares for the next week.

"Right," he said.

They crept up the front walk, their ears perked for any unusual sounds from inside the house. She handed him her keys, which he slid into the lock and turned slowly, careful not to make a sound. He turned the knob and cracked the door open, peering inside.

Gou peeked past him and scanned the foyer. It didn't look like they'd been robbed. Everything was exactly where she'd left it that afternoon. Her school blazer was hanging on the peg to their right and the thousand yen bill her mother had left her was on the table near the door. Her eyes slid down to the shoe rack. "Those are part of the Iwatobi uniform," she whispered, picking out a pair of shoes that shouldn't have been there.

"And those are from Samezuka," Mikoshiba replied, his voice low as he pointed to a second pair sitting next to the first.

"Mom?" called a voice from deeper within the house. Gou and Mikoshiba looked at one another.

"That sounded like—" Mikoshiba began.

"Big brother!" Gou finished before dumping her purse on the ground and tugging her shoes from he feet. "Rin?" she called, rushing into the living room.

She found him curled up on the sofa. His bangs were pinned up out of his face and there was a bandage taped clumsily over his left eye. That was alarming, but it wasn't what stopped her in her tracks and caused her jaw to slacken in surprise. No, that honour went to the head of familiar black hair tucked beneath Rin's chin, just visible above the heavy blanket he'd wrapped around himself.

"Gou!" Rin looked up at her in surprise. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Where were you?"

"Where was I? I think the more important question here is what happened to your face? And why are you cuddling with Haruka-senpai?" She added with a hint of a smirk, silently congratulating herself. Vengeance was one thing, but goading Rin to reconnect with his old friends was a sweeter reward by far. She was convinced it would be good for him, and maybe even drag him out of the funk that was no doubt the catalyst for his forgetting his promise in the first place. If nothing else, this seemed to have produced the desired effect.

"We're not _cuddling_ ," Rin growled.

Mikoshiba chose that moment to appear in the doorway. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "It looks like cuddling to me," he said without missing a beat.

Rin's face was bright red as he looked between her and his captain, confusion evident on his face. "What's he doing here?"

"I asked you a question first," Gou said, not letting him change the subject.

The blankets covering Rin shifted slightly and a hand slid up his shoulder. It fumbled blindly for the edge of the blanket, missing every time.

"Kou-chan?" Haru asked. He was speaking slowly and obviously with great effort. She wondered if he was drunk, but that didn't seem like something Haru would do, and the concern on her brother's face when he looked down at Haru confirmed her suspicion that something far more serious was going on.

"Hey, Haru, don't fall asleep on me now, okay?" Rin's voiced was strained and he shook Haru gently before pulling him closer to his chest. Beneath the blankets his hands were moving up and down Haru's back in long, powerful strokes.

Gou was immediately by her brothers side, Mikoshiba close behind. "Brother, what's wrong with Haruka-senpai?"

Rin scowled. "This idiot fell asleep in the bathtub. By the time I found him he was freezing cold and barely conscious!"

"Well shit," Mikoshiba said. He pulled back the blanket just enough to see the slack, dazed expression on Haru's face. He checked his temperature, moving from his forehead to the side of his chest, and then down towards his thighs and feet. He looked up at Rin, who's eyes were pleading for reassurance that everything would be okay. "Well at least you're doing something right," he said, withdrawing his hand to clasp Rin's bare shoulder. "I'm glad you didn't try to put him in a hot bath. It wouldn't have done him any favours at this point."

Rin's looked back down at the crown of Haru's head. "Honestly, I didn't even think of the bath. It was hard enough getting him out of it, and there was all that blood…"

"Blood?" Gou asked, tensing. "What blood? Whose?"

Rin grimaced. "I slipped trying to get Haru out of the water and hit my head on the tub."

Tears welled in Gou's eyes. She hated imagining her brother hurt and bleeding. Gently, so as not to bump his wound, she wove her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the crook of his neck, right next to Haru's.

Mikoshiba sighed and rocked back on his haunches. "How about this? I'll help patch you and Nanase-kun up, and you won't bite my head off."

Gou felt Rin tense. "Why would I feel the need to bite your head off?" She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he put two and two together.

"Captain?"

"Yes?" Mikoshiba's voice was a little higher than normal.

"Why were you with my little sister?"

Mikoshiba ran a hand through his hair. "We may have gone out to dinner, and the movies," he admitted. "And I couldn't let her walk home on her own in the dark."

Rin struggled to sit up, his eyes flashing. "You took my sister on a date!"

Oblivious to the tension in the room, Haru decided to move. He wormed up Rin's body and pressed their cheeks together.

"You're warm," he said sleepily.

Rin's anger fizzled out, and Gou saw his eyes soften as he pulled the blanket up so it once again covered Haru's shoulders. The distraction only proved temporary. When he was sure Haru was still awake his head snapped back to Mikoshiba.

Gou decided to step in. "Maybe it was a date," she said. "Or maybe, if you hadn't _forgotten,_ I would have gone with you!"

Rin looked at her with wide eyes. "I forgot?" Rin sounded lost. "But that was about Haru, wasn't it?"

In response to the sound of his name, Haru turned so he could look into Rin's eyes. His lips split into a small smile and he slipped one of his hands up Rin's shoulder and tangled the fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Rin gasped but didn't seem able to pull away.

"What was yesterday?" Mikoshiba asked him point blank.

Rin's cheeks were burning, and he seemed to be struggling to put together a coherent thought. "It was... a Wednesday, right?"

"Yes very good. But what was important about that specific Wednesday?" Mikoshiba prompted.

Rin's eyes flicked over the room as bough searching for a clue. Finally they came to rest on Gou. There was a pause, and then they went wide. "Gou," he stammered. "I'm so, so sorry! It was you birthday and I didn't remember."

Gou huffed, playing up her disappointment even though she knew she wouldn't stay mad at him for much longer. Not when he looked so adorable cuddling with Haru. Because they were _totally_ cuddling, and even if he denied it, she'd never let him live it down. "You better be! You promised we'd spend the day hanging out and then completely blew me off!"

"But then," he looked back at Haru, who was still looking at him with a dreamy expression. "What was that other thing?"

"Revenge," she explained with a small laugh. "And to make sure you never do it again."

"You were in on this too?" Rin asked, looking at Mikoshiba.

The swim captain shrugged. "Everyone was, except Nitori, of course. I doubt he could keep a secret from you if his life depended on it."

"And Haru?"

Gou shook her head. "No one on my side knew it was a prank, Haruka-senpai's just having a really hard week." She giggled. "Though, I didn't think he'd drag you here just to use our bath!"

Mikoshiba stood up, brushing his hands against the front of his jeans. "Well then, now that's all sorted out I'll grab a first aid kit so we can get your head bandaged properly."

"I'll show you where it is," Gou offered, jumping to her feet as well.

When they'd left the room, Rin let his head drop onto Haru's shoulder. "Why am I such an idiot?" he asked quietly. "I can't do anything right. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone hates me!" He wasn't expecting a reply, so when he felt Haru's breath tickle his ear he almost missed the whispered words.

"I like sharks."

* * *

 **See, I told you it would be a pretty ridiculous, fluffy story, but hopefully you got a few laughs out of it! :D**

 **I have no idea if you can actually develop hypothermia from cooling bath water, but according to the Minnesota Sea Grant website: in 10–15.6°C water you'll be unconscious in 1-2 hours and can survive for up to 6 hours, while in 15.6–21.1°C water you'll be unconscious in 2-7 hours and can survive for between 2-40 hours, so I suppose it may be possible. I never really envisioned Haru as a warm bath guy either way. Tepid maybe, but more likely closer to the average temperature of a swimming pool.**

 **At least I made sure to brush up on all the things one definitely should NOT do to warm someone with hypothermia back up again!**


End file.
